Young African FC firmly in the driving seat

Ambitious first division campaigners Young African Football Club remain on course for automatic promotion to the country’s elite league, come next season.

Owned by versatile former African Stars centre back-cum-midfielder Mali Ngarizemo, the club currently leads the Southern Stream Division One log standings, having amassed an astonishing tally of 21 points from a possible 24.

During his somewhat abbreviated football career, Ngarizemo, whose football prowess was discovered by one of Africa’s most astute football coaches, Ted Dumitru, while coaching the Namibian senior football team at the turn of the century, the outspoken and strongly built defender, Mali, was touted as a potential replacement for Slice Ouseb.
However, a promising path was derailed by football politics, combined with an element of self-destruction, which led to a premature end to Mali’s promising football career.

Call him the Jomo Sono of Namibian football, but the man with the ‘Midas Touch’ is determined to fulfill another dream – that of running and at the same time mentoring his own football club.

Khomas Nampol, Southern giants Try Again and TD Young Brazilians are tailing Young African FC in 2nd and joint 3rd place on 17 and 13 points apiece, respectively.

Former MTC Premiership campaigners Blue Boys and Ramblers are perched precariously in mid-table positions, while Rebels are languishing dangerously near the relegation zone – second from bottom with a paltry 7 points out of a possible 24.

In last weekend’s action, second-placed Khomas Nampol and Spoilers hammered Hardap Boys and PC Blue Boys by an identical 4-1 score-line in their respective matches, while the visiting Ramblers saw off Date Eleven by a solitary away goal in Keetmanshoop.